Forum Post: A Second (and Third) BILL of RIGHTS (FDR) part 2

Here's my (THIRD) BILL OF RIGHTS:

1.Cap corporate salaries to 50x lowest worker. To increase the CEO's salary - EVERYONE's salary must increase in tandem.

2.Income tax reform a.Dividends, capital gains, interest and wages all taxed at same rate. b.Return to Progressivity - top rate of 55% until federal debt eliminated, then go to 39%. c. All corpporate tax loopholes, earmarks, exemptions eliminated d. Wealth to be taxed (up to 4% until wealth inequality returns to level of 1973) .

1. Corporations to return to TRIPLE goal of 1)profitability, 2) adequate wages and health/safety standards, 3)Community responsibility, sustainability and pollution-free.

    Corporations to strive for the following:    
   

   a)Living wage = 1 salary adequate to support a middle class lifestyle. b)Worker representation to be encouraged: unions or other representative groups & voice on corp. boards or mngmt teams. c)No plant relocations, mass layoffs, outsourcing to cheap labor countries

4."Living" minimum wage and indexed to inflation (subsidized by reverse income tax for small companies negatively impacted). Implicit to CPI - calculate a real CPI that reflects REAL living costs: including energy, medical, housing and education

1. Full employment targeted to 97% with federal gov't as employer of last resort.

2. Universal Healthcare - Medicare for all

7."Fair Trade" open trade agreements only with countries adhering to a living wage and safety and environmental standards.

1. Campaign finance reform: 100% public financing.

2. Housing reform: middle -class bankruptcies allowed, favorable refinancing subsidized by surcharge on banks and investment companies. Low income housing/apartments built in cities or close to commercial and industrial employer with access to mass transit.

3. Education reform: low cost public universities, low cost loans, high quality K-12 public education for ALL. Also: grants and subsidized education benefits tied to National Service (military, inner city schools & hospitals, environmental rehab projects).

THAT'S IT. Please note the following:

1. I have used benchmarks several times ot reference a period in time when the US economy was growing and very productive (1973 and the late 1990's) or other industrial economies (for medical insurance or educational goals). 2.I have chosen, especially for the 3rd Right, a cooperative approach rather than a confrontational or punitive approach. We don't want to kill the golden goose or "tax the beast" to death. I feel we can obtain our goals of a just, fair and equal oppportunity society if we CHANGE the way business is run, rather than over-regulating it or setting up confrontaions with Labor unions and/or government regulators. But Unions are still very important and vital for workers to get a fair slice of the pie.
2. I use the work "fair" and "living wage" as a major benchmark in several contexts - a middle income lifestyle, minimum wage and wages of foreign workers. These must be determined based on local costs and living standards. But the primcipal is you MUST be able to live/survive on ONE salary!
3. Flexibility is built into Right #2, where the marginal tax rate or wealth tax can be reduced when certain benchmarks are reached.
4. This doesn't deal with all problems (pollution, energy use, global warming, militarism, etc) but some of these can be a part of corporate responsibility.

I hope to get comments and would like the appropriate OWS groups and committees to consider these Bills of Rights in this or a modified form as a means or crystallizing our thoughts and unifying OWS supporters.